Equity Compentency Assesment

By the time we were to administer the Equity Competency Assessment to faculty, the college was instructed by our governing system to conduct a common campus climate study across all of the MnSCU campuses. Century's Chief Diversity Officer conducted a Needs Assessment, a Campus Climate Study, and used that data to inform the goals of the College's Equity and Diversity Plan for 2016-2021.

2015:

Culturally responsive [institutions] facilitate and support the achievement of all students. Teaching and learning occurs in a culturally supported, learner-centered context, whereby the strengths students bring with them are nurtured and utilized to promote their success. Change needs to occur on three levels; institutional, personal and instructional. (Adapted from: National Center for Culturally Responsive Systems Practitioners Brief. Arizona State University).

With a goal of assessing our campuses climate, an Equity Competency Assessment was developed by four faculty and staff members who are trained poverty coaches through Dr. Donna Beegle, founder of Communications Across Barriers. This instrument seeks to engage the college’s units/departments in assessing equity competencies and creating action plans to better serve our increasingly diverse student populations. The instrument identifies ten areas of discrimination and poverty (Poverty, Ableism, Class Discrimination, Ethnocentrism, Genderism, Sexism, Heterosexism, Ageism, Racism and Religious Discrimination). The equity assessment evaluates areas of growth and strengths of each unit/department that takes the assessment.

In spring 2015, Student Services administration agreed to have all student services staff take the assessment on a professional day, each unit will meet with one of four facilitators to go over the assessment and to determine action steps to be worked on by each unit as it directly relates to students/policies/practices. In fall 2015 this assessment will be administered to all faculty, with subsequent meetings and action steps. This assessment will help guide our professional development offerings. Evaluation of the instrument and campus change will be ongoing and reported next year.